A couple of months ago the polling on this race was close with Mike Braley developing a small lead in September. In late September Joni Ernst began developing a small but consistently lead. Braley has only led in two of the last seventeen polls taken. But Ernst has never led by more than 4%. Take the Poll Below

President Obama’s lack of popularity is clearly hurting Mike Braley. The people of Iowa don’t like Obamacare, don’t like the way Obama has handled the Ebola situation and believe he has been to slow and passive in responding to the Isis terrorist onslaught in Iraq and Syria. Like the rest of the nation, Iowans are not satisfied with the state of the economy and believe as a nation we are heading in the wrong direction. It may not be Braley’s fault that Obama is perceived as doing such a bad job, but voters may hold him accountable since he votes with Obama most of the time.Joni Ernst has been able to use these issues during her debate with Braley.

She ripped into Braley on Obamacare with regards to the fact that he claimed people could keep their healthcare plan if they wanted it. She said he either lied or didn't know and neither is a good option.

She even ripped into him on abortion saying that he lied when he claimed he was against late term abortion and parental consent. She criticized Braley for not supporting a bill that would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy if the mother's life was not endangered. Braley was critical of Ernst for being against the right to an abortion except when the mother's life is endangered and perhaps some other instances that she did not specify. However the moderator also raised the issue that Ernst's opposition to early trimester abortions doesn't matter because it is settled law because of Roe Vs. Wade and legislature's will not be able to change it anyway.

Braley attacked Ernst, claiming that she wants to deny women birth control. She fired back saying that she doesn't believe taxpayers should be paying for birth control and that any women is still free to purchase birth control.

Joni Ernst wants to repeal Obamacare and while Mike Braley claims that would be bad for the people of Iowa. Ernst says Obamacare is bad for the nation, creates more government dependency, costs too much money, and is also costing too many jobs, causing employers to lay off workers and reduce their hours so they don't have to participate.